Pair jailed for life for young father's murder at flat

Independent

4 days ago

A man and woman who killed a young father in a 'murderous attack' in a flat have been jailed for life.
Cameron Woods stabbed Robert Fisher, 26, through the heart during the attack in Paisley, Renfrewshire, on July 23, 2023, using a knife brought by Stacey Balfour.
Mr Fisher, 26, was so severely injured that he died four days later at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
The pair were found guilty of acting 'in concert' to murder Mr Fisher at the flat in Maxwellton Court following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow in May this year.
Lady Hood jailed the pair for life when they returned to the court for sentencing on Tuesday.
She ordered Woods, 27, who was on bail at the time of the murder, to spend a minimum of 18 years and six months before he is eligible for parole, while Balfour, 24, must serve a minimum of 16 years.
Lady Hood said: 'Robert Fisher died from a stab wound to the heart, one of a number of injuries. The knife was brought by you Stacey Balfour and was wielded by you, Cameron Woods.
'It was the verdict of the jury that you were acting in concert and were both responsible for this murderous attack.'
She said that there was 'no doubt that the knife was wielded and the fatal blow struck by Cameron Woods'.
Lady Hood said that in their victim impact statement Mr Fisher's family described him as 'caring' and talked of goals he was working towards but will never achieve.
She said they also 'explained the impact of Mr Fisher's death on his young daughter' and added that no sentence she imposes will be enough to make up for the family's loss.
Lady Hood said that she took Balfour's age into account when deciding her sentence as she was under 25 at the time of the offence, and sentencing guidelines for that age group are different from those for older people.
Thomas Ross KC, representing Balfour, said that she had previously been in a 'toxic relationship' and was to some extent 'in a very dark place' at the time of the offence.
He urged the judge to consider Balfour's lack of previous convictions, personal circumstances and the sentencing guidelines when deciding on her sentence.
Donald Findlay KC, representing Woods, said there was 'no pre-planning' in the murder.
He said: 'Nobody set out looking for trouble, it ought to have been a pleasant social occasion but something clearly happened that led to a conflict and as a consequence of whatever that was, what occurred followed.'